The more time I spend on this planet, the more I have come to really appreciate communication. I have also come to realise that good, clear communication is an underrated ability and underused skill. What causes us to miscommunicate and how do we improve our interactions?

It was TIME to take some time off. This staycation retreat was just what this practitioner ordered…and needed.

Harrison’s Cave - the beautiful world hidden beneath Barbados

In response to ‘Lashes outdated way to punish children’ https://www.nationnews.com/2023/05/21/lashes-outdated-way-punish-children/

A controversial one but a much needed conversation. Even though I grew up in the culture of scbigystcf, (If you get that, you get it!) I don't believe in physical punishment for children. My reasons are plentiful but as brief as I can explain:

Can you guarantee the "lash" will be the same strength each time? Or, after the car breaks down, a busy day at work, a stain on your favourite top and an argument with your partner, will the lash have a bit of weight behind it?

Do you find you have to give lashes for repetitive behaviours? Maybe, just maybe the lashes are not as effective as believed to be. The child may wince at the sight of a slipper but it begs the question does the child really understand why they are getting hit? Is the lash accompanied by a discussion - is the child required to give words of accountability for their behaviour? Are they taught or given the tools to develop emotional intelligence or conflict resolution? If not, it is likely the behaviour will be repeated. 

My happy face outside the Barbados Museum and Historical Society

There were many interesting artefacts and paintings that would require another visit to take it all in. However, the thing that captured my attention the most was the Black anatomical model in the medical section of the Children’s Gallery.

Throughout studying for my herbal medicine degree, and the other courses I have done over the years, I have never seen a Black anatomical model. You may be thinking, “but Louise, the structures and the organs are the same”, and of course you would be right but there was something more important for me.

Over the last few months, there have been a lot of posts online and reports in the news of violence. CCTV footage of shootings are becoming a common occurrence. The scenes are very disturbing and the language used around them, I feel, pulls us further away from understanding the root causes and therefore the ability to find solutions.

“Gun violence” or “knife crime” are ambiguous terms that place the emphasis on the object and almost suggest that if those items were not available that the violence would not occur. As seen in many of the comments online, people are questioning where the guns are coming from, calling on the police and the army to have a greater presence or advocating for the death penalty. 

It is terrifying that these things are happening on this small island, often in broad daylight but when I see the reports and videos, I see people who are in a huge amount of pain - and I don’t just mean the people whose loved ones have been killed and whose families have been torn apart, I mean the people who are killing and committing violent acts.

Mindfulness is not just about sitting still in awkward poses for hours on end. It is about being present, as much as possible, in everyday activities. This might be in conversation, brushing your teeth, or eating.

The volcanic eruptions of St Vincent’s La Soufriere provide many moments of clarity.

I was fortunate to spend time in the company of some sprightly onagenarians, overlooking the north coast in St Lucy. In their 90’s, these women possessed a grace and spirit that was remarkable and inspiring.

This year marks ten years since I qualified as a Medical Herbalist. When I was planning to move to Barbados, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to source the herbs I was familiar with using and that I would be lost with the local herbs. During her recent lecture, the Healing Plants of the Ancestors, Dr Sonia Peter highlights how we are in danger of losing our biocultural knowledge.

And just like that Cranio-Sacral Therapy Awareness Week comes to a close.

As many of us have, I have been indoctrinated with the mindset that work has to be gruelling, monotonous and stressful, and anything that deviates from that is wrong.

Work patterns, habits and locations have changed significantly in recent years, but has our conscience followed suit?

The Caribbean Wellness Day on Saturday was incredible - spending the day giving treatments and meeting amazing people.

My phone had become an extension of my arm and the constant notification sounds, flashing lights and vibrations had become addictive. I feared my happiness, sadness, anger, compassion were being dictated by an algorithm. Real, heart-felt interactions were being replaced by miscommunications and misunderstandings.

Growing up, my family would often travel to Barbados and we would visit our many, many distant relatives in the parish of St. Andrew. Driving through this lusciously green and still parish we would pass an unassuming stretch of land my mum would point out as the Conrad Hunte Cricket Pitch. Being young, and not particularly interested in cricket, I didn't think much of it.

It wasn’t until this year, watching the England cricket tour of the West Indies, that I started thinking about those trips and the great West Indian cricketers my dad would recall. I got hold of a copy of Sir Conrad Hunte’s autobiography Playing to Win published in 1971. It details his cricketing career as an opening batsman for the West Indies from 1958-1967. During this time he played 44 Test matches amassing 3245 runs at an average of 45.06 - placing him in the annals as one of the best opening batsman for the West Indies, if not of all time.

From the last century until today, cricket has been plagued with politics. The West Indies Cricket Team is no exception. In 1960 Hunte played in the first Windies team to be captained by a Black man, Frank Worrell. His appointment was championed by the historian and cricket commentator C L R James and echoed a rise in the Pan-African Movement that saw many Caribbean islands gaining independence from European nations.